Mailbox



July 6 1948. A; J. sHAuKls i 2,4137

` MAILBOX y l Filed Nov'. so, 1945 a sheets-sheet 2 f, i INVENTOR. ,r/zq/c/S/a zb? is Patented July 6, 1948 yll/IAILBOX 1 'Arthur '.1. Shaukis, Haverhill, Mass.

' Application November 30, 1945, Serial No.'631,799

l 1 Claim. l This invention .relates -to improvements in house mail boxes which are adapted to be attached outside a residence to receive and-tohold the mail deposited therein by themailman.

The present -type ofhouse mail box has the disadvantage that everytime one Wants to iind out whether there is any mail -in the box, the boxv mustrbe inspected through the letter opening to determine Whether ornot the postman' delivered any mail. IThis causes many unnecessary trips and disappointments.

An object of the invention therefore is to overcome this disadvantage by providing a mail box with an indicating means that will enable the owner to see at a distance whether or not there is any mail in the box Without a close inspection that is nessary with the present type of mail boxes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mail box which is Weather-proof, durable, pos.- sesses a neat appearance, is simple in construction and positive in its operations.

With the above and other objects and advantages in View, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of an embodiment of the invention with the signal indicating the presence of mail in indicating position.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4` of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a top plan View With the lid or cover removed and showing the gutter.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-5 of Figure 1.

Figure '7 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of Figure 6 of the indicator in indicating position.

Figure 8 is the same with the lid being raised.

Figure 9 is a perspective View of the rear plate of the box.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the sides and bottom of the rear section of the box.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the top cap and Figure 12 is a detailed View of the shaft mounting the indicator and lid.

Referring more in detail to the drawings the numeral 28 designates the body of the box which is constructed of any suitable metal and comprises the sides 22 which is bent in a U-shape to form the bottom 24. The upper ends of the sides are curved inward at'2'6'and then bent upward at right angles `vthereto to form Athe"`flanges 28 to which is" connected thetop cap `31'1' byrivets Y32 which hold these elementsin'unit assembly.` The fianges 28 'andtopcap-"ware provided with cut outs`34 and'36 respectively andtwh'en these elements are assembled the triangularbar is positioned in the opposed slots.

The sides 22 are also provided With'tongu'es 48, which are adaptedto be received inthefcut'outs 42' of the back'llll and afterthe back `has"'been placed in position the tongues are bent upon the back to hold these units together in fixed relation to each other. The back is provided With the portion 46 which corresponds in height and Width with the flanges 28 and the cap 38.

The face portion or front section 48 of the box body is provided with the usual hinged door 50, and the inwardly bent inner rim 52 of the face portion 48 is adapted to be received in the sides 22 and retained therein by the ribs 54, coacting with the grooves 56 as shown in Figure 4. The top of the face portion 48 is provided with the mail receiving slot 58 and a channel groove or gutter 60 surrounding the slot 58 prevents Water from entering the body of the box in case the box is attached outside Where it can be reached by the rain.

The triangular bar 38 is retained in its position by the cut outs 34 of t'he anges 28 and cut outs 36 of the top cap 3l) when both parts are assembled together.

The indicator 64 which is preferably made from heavier metal than the box body has its sides and front bent downward at 66 as shown in Figures '7 and 8, and is provided with depending ears 68 having triangular shaped openings 88 therein by which the indicator is fixed to the bar 38 at 18. The inside face of the indicator 64 is provided with indicia of some form to attract the owners attention when the indicator is in indicating position.

The lid 12 for closing the slot 58 is provided with apertured attaching ears 14 for freely mounting the lid 12 on the rounded ends 62 of the bar 38. A spring 16 is secured to the top cap 38 on the inner side thereof by rivets 18 and the opposite or free end contacting the bar 38 as shown in Figure '7.

It will be apparent that with the indicator 54 iixed to the bar 38 and the lid 12 freely mounted on the bar the indicator 64 is positioned on top of the lid 12 and when the mail is delivered and the lid 12 is raised by the finger zpiece 80, the indicator 64 will be raised to indieating position as shown in Figure 1. The indicator 64, being fixed to the bar 38, will turn the bar 38 and the spring will force the indicator into raised position and will contact the side of the bar as shown in Figure 7 and retain the indicator in indicating position. Then after the mail has been deposited in the slot the lid will automatically close covering the slot. The indicator will thus indicate at some distance that there is mail in the box.

When the mail has been removed the indicator is again positioned on the lid 'l2 and the box is again ready to receive mail.

It will be apparent t those skilled in the art that the foregoing description when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings disclose a box which will indicate the presence of mail therein is of neat appearance, simple in construction and positive in its operation.

It is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or t'he scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired Letters Patent is:

In a mail box, the combination, which comprises, ay relatively thin box-like casing having front and rear sections with a hinged door in the front section, the upper surface of the said front to be secured by 4 section sloping downwardly and having a letter receiving slot therein, a continuous lid with upwardly extending flanges at the ends and an extending finger piece at the front positioned on said downwardly sloping surface at the upper end of the said front section, a transversely disposed iiat sided shaftl having round ends rotatably mounted in the upper end of the rear section of the casing, the flanges at the ends of said lid having extending ears positioned on the round ends of the shaft providing mounting means for the lid, an inverted tray-like cap iixedly mounted on said shaft and positioned to overlie said lid wherein upward movement of the lid raises the ca'p to substantially vertical position to expose the interior thereof, and a flat spring mounted in the upper end of the casing to engage with one of the flat sides of the shaft frictionally holding the said cap in raised and lowered position. ARTHUR; J. SHAUKIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the nie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 795,239 Smith July 18, 1905 1,248,171 Schubert Nov. 27, 1917 1,512,337 Jackson Oct. 21, 1924 

